I want to extend a big "thank you" to all the passionate CHS students that have cheered on the Pirates all season long.

I have been impressed with the creative signs and cheers.

The best of the season, so far, has been Brandon Kresl completely decked out in blaze orange hunting gear and his "Let's go bear hunting" sign when the Pirate boys' hockey team hosted the Blake Bears.

It's great to see the support for Pirate teams even though many of them are hovering around the .500 mark.

At Monday's girls' basketball game against Perham I observed the best student section I have seen in a long time. The students were cheering the entire game and making it uncomfortable for the Yellowjacket players. Loudest was Beau Melbye, clapping with his chopper mittens.

Tuesday's boys' basketball had asimilar atmosphere and it was a big reason the Pirates beat Warroad.

I took a photo of Pirate freshman Sydney Boike shooting a free throw in Monday's girls' basketball game with the students wiggling their spirit fingers in the background, and after the game when I got home to look at the photos I noticed Allen Brundin “Tebowing” in the background of the photo.

It doesn't get any better than that.

Maybe the best part of all the loud cheering is that 99 percent of what I have heard has been positive and impersonal. The best chants have to do with an athlete's performance.

If an opponent completely misses the rim, chanting "AIR BALL" at the top of your lungs is the best.

If an East Grand Forks hockey player forgets to remove his skate guards and falls while stepping on the ice, which actually happened this season, I hope every student in attendance makes that player turn beet red from embarrassment.

Chants about someone's mom are not cool. Take the high road.

Also, to the students that like to chant my name, thank you...I think. Just so you know, I am embarrassed every time you do it.

I love that awkward moment when someone asks me, are they actually chanting your name?

Yes, yes they are.

And the absolute best part of the Pirate student section this year is that I haven't seen the wave done once. And that's always a plus.